Download Southwest Asia & North Africa

Southwest Asia &
North Africa
5 Quick Words…
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Come up with 5 words that come to mind
when you think of this region.
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People
Places
Things
Events
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List of Countries….
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Afghanistan
Algeria
Bahrain
Cyprus
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
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Libya
Morocco
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Peninsulas
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Arabian Peninsula
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Bordered by:
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Sinai Peninsula
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Bordered by:
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Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Arabian Sea
Gulf of Aden
Red Sea
Anatolian Peninsula
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Bordered by:
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Black Sea
Aegean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Location…
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This region is
sometimes called
the “crossroads”
of the world
because of its
critical location
between several
continents
Dead Sea….
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Landlocked
saltwater lake
Saltiest body of
water
9 times as salty as
the ocean
Mountains….
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Taurus
Mount Ararat
Elburz
Zagros
Hindu Kush
Atlas
Ahaggar
Rivers….
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Nile
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Tigris
Euphrates
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World’s longest river
Makes up Mesopotamia
or “Fertile Crescent”
Jordan
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Flows into Dead Sea
Deserts….
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Cover about 50% of this
region
Sahara
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World’s largest desert
Rubal Khali
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Means empty quarter
Found on the Arabian
Peninsula
This desert covers ¼ of
total land are of Arabian
Peninsula
Natural Resources….
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Most important
resources
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Natural gas
Petroleum (oil)
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60 % of the world’s
reserves are found here
Before World War II,
this region produced
less than 5% of the
world’s oil
Today, it is the top
region for oil production
Population….
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Crossroads for Africa, Asia
and Europe
Ethnic diversity – the
difference in people based
on origins, language,
customs, or beliefs
Arabs
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Majority of people in this
region
Most Arabs follow Islam
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Islam is the religion
Muslim is a person who
follows Islam
Speak Arabic language
Population
cont….
Israelis
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Turks
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Live in Iran
Speak Farsi
Practice a form of Islam called Shiism
Afghanis
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Live in Turkey
Practice Islam
Iranians
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Live in Israel
Most are Jewish (follow Judaism)
Settled in the region believing that God had given them land for a
permanent home
Continuing conflict between Israelis and Arabs
Many ethnic groups established from invasions and migrations
Practice Islam
Kurds
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Primarily live in Turkey and Iraq
Muslim but not Arab
Population Densities & Growth….
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350 million
Growing quickly
Water and population
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People live near water
Desert areas are unpopulated
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Except for cities and oil fields
Urbanization
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The region used to be more rural than urban
Since World War II, most of the major oil and gas producing
countries have become more urbanized
Rural villagers moved to cities to search for a better life
The cities can’t handle the population shift yet
Shortage of housing and food
History….
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Early Civilizations
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Mesopotamia
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Egypt
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Coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Israel and Lebanon
Persian Empire
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Developed along the Nile River
Phoenician Civilization
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Sumerian Civilization developed in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is located between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers called the “Fertile Crescent”
Between the Nile River and Aegean Sea
3 of the world’s major religions began in
southwest Asia
Judaism….
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Oldest of the three
religions
The Hebrews established
the Kingdoms of Israel and
Judah
Made Jerusalem their
capital and religious center
People who followed
Judaism are called Jews
Believe in monotheismthe belief in one God
Holy book- Torah or
Hebrew Bible
Christianity….
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Based on the
teachings of Jesus
The Jews and non-Jews
who followed the
teachings of Jesus
became known as
Christians
Holy book- Bible
Christians added books
to the Hebrew Bible
called the New
Testament
Islam….
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Majority of people in this region
follow Islam
Islam is the religion
Muslim is a person who follows Islam
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Sunni & Shia
Sunnis choose own leaders; Shia
only allow descendants of
Muhammad to lead
Began around 600 AD
Newest of the three religions
Muslims believe Muhammad was
the prophet- God’s messenger
Worship “Allah”- Arabic word for God
Holy book- Quran
Worship in mosques – temples
Mecca – holiest city
5 Pillars of Islam…
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The Creed - "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah"
Prayer - Prayer is done five times a day, said facing the direction of Mecca, and
a weekly prayer on Friday. Daily prayers are said while rising, at noon, midafternoon, after sunset and before retiring to bed. The weekly prayer is usually
offered at mid-day in public worship in a mosque.
Fasting - during the ninth month of the Muslim year, Ramadan. A Muslim must
not take any food or drink from dawn until sunset. At night, this time is a great
feast/festival. (There are exceptions - old people, sick, young children)
The Hajj - a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Every Muslim is expected to
do this at least once in their lifetime - unless illness or poverty make this
impossible. Then they go to the great mosque to kiss the Black Stone in the
eastern corner of the Ka'aba. They make seven trips around the Ka'aba (the
first three running, the rest walking). On the ninth day of the hajj, the Muslims
travel 12 miles to Mt. Arafat where continuous prayer is offered from noon to
sunset.
Almsgiving - Muhammad believed that his followers should give to God and to
the poor. Giving is based on income: a Muslim is expected to give about 2 1/2%
of his yearly income.
Cultures & Lifestyles….
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Religion
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Religion influences the
language, arts, government
and lifestyles of the people
Very important in this region
The majority of the people
follow Islam
Even though Christianity and
Judaism began in this region,
only a small percentage of
the population follow
Judaism or Christianity
Most Jews live in Israel
Cyprus and Lebanon have
large Christian populations
Cultures & Lifestyles….
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Languages
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The major
language
spoken is
Arabic
Hebrew is
official
language of
Israel
Meeting Food Needs….
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Because a lot of the
land is desert,
producing enough
food is always an
issue
Agriculture
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Only a small portion of
land is good for crops or
grazing
Yet a large percentage
of people work in
agriculture (especially in
poorer countries)
Meeting Food Needs….
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Livestock
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Cattle and sheep
are another source
of food
Fishing
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Along the seas,
fishing is done
Industrial Growth….
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Most important natural
resource is petroleum
(oil)
Oil has brought wealth to
many countries in this
region
Some countries have
developed industries that
use petrochemicalsproducts derived from
petroleum or natural gas to
make fertilizers, medicines,
plastics or paints
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Most oil is exported in
crude form to
industrialized countries to
refine
Less than 5% of the oil
produced is refined in
Southwest Asia and
North Africa
Natural gas has helped to
advance the region by:
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Powering various industries
Promoting economic growth
 Provided jobs
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Improved standard of
living
OPEC….
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OPEC stands for Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries
Began in 1960
OPEC is considered a cartel - a group of
producers who get together to set prices and
determine production
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OPEC’s ability to control the price of oil is not as great as it
used to be
But OPEC still has considerable impact on the price of oil by
controlling the supply of oil
OPEC countries produce 40% of the world’s oil and
have 2/3 of the world’s oil reserves
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The purpose of OPEC is to:
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Give these countries greater control over the
price and production of oil
Determine the best way to protect the interests
of the member countries
Design ways to make sure oil prices remain stable
Give a steady income to the member countries
from oil
OPEC’s official language is English
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Although most of the member countries speak
Arabic
http://www.opec.org/home/
11 Member Countries….
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Algeria
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
Libya
Nigeria
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Venezuela
Service Industries….
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Service industries - business that provides a
service instead of making goods (examples –
banking, insurance, tourism)
These industries are important to the economies
too
Example:
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In Bahrain, banking, real estate, and insurance
industries provide more than 60% of the GDP
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – the value of all
goods and services created in a country in a year
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Tourism
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Millions of tourists
travel to see the
ancient historical
places (pyramids,
Holy Lands, Mecca
etc)
The violence in this
region has hurt the
tourism industry
Environment….
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1.2 billion people worldwide do not have clean
water to drink
2/3 of people must find water outside of their
homes
In the U.S. people use approximately 300 billions
of water everyday
Since a lot of North Africa and SW Asia are
deserts, providing enough freshwater for drinking
and irrigation is difficult
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They get water from rivers, oases, and wells
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Water comes from aquifers – underground layers
of porous rocks, gravel, or sand that contain water
Need for Water….
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Major rivers
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Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates provide water for some
countries
Jordan River provides water for Israel
“Great Human-Made River”
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Found in Libya
Multibillion dollar pipeline to carry water from two large
aquifers beneath the Sahara Desert to farm areas
The pipeline has a 13 foot diameter
Scientists worry the man made river may:
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Drain aquifers
Draw in saltwater from the Mediterranean Sea
Desalination….
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Desalination – the removal of salt from seawater
Used during World War II to provide fresh drinking water
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United States’ naval ships had simple desalination units that
boiled salt out of the seawater
Today, desalination plants around the world produce about 3.4
billion gallons a freshwater a day
First, used in Israel in this region
Desalination is very expensive
It has moved beyond just distillation - the boiling and condensing of
water
The price has come down but it is still too expensive for many
countries
Some of the oil rich countries can afford to use these plants
Aswan High Dam….
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In the 1950s, President
Nasser of Egypt wanted to
build a huge dam on the
Nile River at Aswan
The purpose of the dam
was to:
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Control the Nile’s floods
Improve irrigation
Supply electricity
Create the world’s largest
artificial lake for the fishing
industry
The dam provided 50% of
electrical power and
opened 3 million acres to
irrigation
Aswan High Dam…
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But, the dam had negative effects on the
environment:
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Before the dam was built, the Nile flooded along
the river banks
Now, the soil gets trapped on one side of the dam
Farmers have to use expensive fertilizers on their
land
The dam also prevents the annual (yearly) floods
from washing away salt from the soil
Increases in diseases and deaths caused by
parasites in the Nile River (used to be washed
away into the Mediterranean Sea)
Persian Gulf War….
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Iraq invaded Kuwait
in 1990
United Nations
demanded Iraq
withdraw from Kuwait
Iraq refused
An international
effort, led by the U.S.,
attacked the Iraqi
soldiers
Persian Gulf War….
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Before the Iraqis
withdrew, they set fire
to a large number of
Kuwait’s oil wells
Huge black clouds of
smoke polluted the
area
Iraqi troops dumped
250 million gallons of
oil into the Persian
Gulf
Oil spilled for 350
miles in the Gulf
Current Issues….
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Terrorist
organizations: al
Qaeda, Taliban
Modern vs. traditional
values
Political instability
Gap between rich and
poor
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Underdeveloped
countries
Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict
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Refugees
Violence
Depletion of resources
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Arab / Israeli Wars Who wins and who does the US support?
Arab Response Oil Embargo Formation of OPEC
Iran - 1950s - 1970s The US supports the "Shah" of Iran
1978 People protest against the Shah / he leaves the country and takes $$$$$
The Shah comes to the US "they" want him back
Ayatollah Khomeini takes over in Iran
Iran "students" take the US Embassy 11/4/1979 and all 50 Americans in it as hostage
for 444 days
Also while Carter is President the Camp David Accords
M. Begin / Israel and A. Sadat / Egypt sign an agreement to stop fighting many were
upset on both sides.
1979 Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
US Response by President Carter
Grain Embargo & Boycott the 1980 Olympics (the Soviets boycott the 1984 Olympics in
LA)
In 1980 Reagan defeats Carter for the Presidency / Iran releases the US hostages /
RR lifts the Grain Embargo